Death Becomes Him
by Poetic-Introvert
Summary: 5X21 Spoiler: Damon wants to save Stefan, but does Stefan want to be saved? One-Shot


**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries in any way, shape, or form.**

* * *

**Alaric's P.O.V.**

"Stefan?"

I have circled around this cemetery for what seems like an infinite amount of time. I have seen the same dead, dreary trees, the same rusting fence and crumbling graves, and even the same dead supernaturals.

I have never seen Stefan Salvatore in my hourly treks. And for that I was glad, because it meant that he was alive and thriving. I can feel my unneeded breath stop short in my throat as unshed tears strain to overflow.

"You can't be. . .No. Why are you here, Stefan?"

He looks down; unable to meet my eyes.

"Do not tell me you're dead!"

I forcefully put my hands on both of his shoulders.

"Don't tell me you've left Elena, Damon, and Jeremy to deal with this mess, Stefan. Please, don't tell me that!"

"They have it under control, Alaric."

"No, no they don't! This is far beyond their control. This side is getting weaker. I can feel it weaken by the minute. Tell me you aren't here permanently. Tell me that Bonnie got another witch to send you here to check up on things, and she's sending you back in a bit."

"You and I both know I can't tell you any of that." I rake my fingers through my hair as Stefan's eyes meet mine. I can see that they are tinted red with salty tears. "I'm dead, Ric."

My lungs feel with oxygen, but I can't feel them exhale as I stumble toward the stone bench in the graveyard. I tremble as I sit down. I can feel Stefan's presence beside me. I place my elbows on my knees, then rest my head on my hands.

"You were supposed to live forever, Stefan. You were destined to find the love you deserved, and eventually get married for all intents and purposes." I take a deep breathe as I bring my head up to look at Stefan. "You were the one who could help Damon. . .who could help Elena."

* * *

**Stefan's P.O.V**

"In case you forget, I'm the one who _killed_ Elena, Ric."

"You saved her! If it weren't for you, she would've died two years ago."

I sigh.

"None of that even matters now."

"And why doesn't it?"

Ric and I turn toward a voice that it feels like I haven't heard forever. For a moment, I almost forget where I am or why I'm here. For a moment, I feel alive again.

"Lexi. . ."

"Damn it, Stefan. What the hell did you do?"

I look toward where Alaric was once sitting, and see Lexi in his place.

"I couldn't just let Julian kill Caroline."

"So, you just let him kill you instead?" Her face is flushed in anger.

"I'm almost two hundred years old, Lexi. Caroline's still a kid. What was I supposed to do?"

Lexi's face seems to relax as a small smile graces her features. I then notice tears starting to flow down her cheeks.

"Oh, you big, dumb ass!" She quickly wraps her arms around me as she sniffs. "Always putting others before yourself. Is it a bad thing that I had hoped that I would never see you again?"

I bury my face into Lexi's hair.

"No offense to you, Lexi, but I had hoped I wouldn't see you again either. I had hoped that maybe you had moved on to a better place like we had once talked about; that maybe you were in your own little oasis on some nude beach sipping on a Margarita."

I chuckle at the nonsense of my words, and, fortunately, hear a small laugh emit from Lexi. She raises her head and looks up at me.

"If only it were that easy. With the way things are going now, I don't think I'll ever get that Margarita. Everything is falling apart, Stefan."

I stay silent for a moment; contemplating. The Other Side is where supernaturals come when they die. It's sort of ironic, really. When we die, we are thrown into a sort of holding cage. All of us have put others' lives on hold. . .by murdering them. It seems fair in a way that our lives after death consist of nothing.

I start to think back; back to the lifeless girl whose head I had placed back on her body to make it look as if she was happily watching television when her parents finally came back from their grocery shopping. I was long gone before they arrived, but I bet that's what they felt. _Nothing._

The only other emotion they had probably felt was fear. The moment they had discovered that her head was not attached to her body was the moment they knew for sure that something beyond their knowledge walked among them. They had probably began to fear for their lives.

And that's the point of the other side. To make us, as foul creations, fear for our lives and the things we have done.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" I ask while looking forward.

I feel Lexi quickly shift so she's sitting upright.

"Excuse me?"

"Lexi, all of us here, we've all done. . .bad things to get here."

"You mean _exist_? Just because we all chose to exist doesn't mean we all deserve to endure what's happening to us on this side, Stefan."

I look down.

"Maybe we do."

* * *

**Damon's P.O.V.**

"So, are we or aren't we?"

I look over at Elena driving. I would never admit it to her face, but she drives like an ant. Of course, that just means there's more time I'll have with her in close proximity of me.

"Damon, do you actually think now is the time to have a 'define our relationship' talk?"

"The whole vampire race is about to be extinguished, and we're on the run from death for who knows how long. It seems like a perfect time." I smirk.

"Well, I don't think-"

The ringing of my phone interrupts Elena. I press ignore.

"Hey! Damon! That could be Jere or Caroline." I sigh over-dramatically as I look at the missed call notification. Of course it's Blondie. Before I can press the button to re-dial her number, the phone starts ringing again.

"Answer it this time. Please?"

I roll my eyes at Elena as I answer the phone.

"Yo, Blondie. Miss me already?"

Before Caroline speaks, I know something is wrong. I can hear her frantic breathing on the other end of the line. I put my hand over the receiver on the phone.

"Elena, pull over."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know yet. Just pull over. Caroline? Talk to me."

Elena's facial expression becomes worried as she hears me use Caroline's actual name as we pull over.

"I tried to stop him, Damon! He was too fast. . ."

"Come on. Deep breaths. Stay with me, Caroline."

"Julian. He. . .r-r-ripped. . ."

"Caroline!"

"Julian ripped Stefan's heart out of his chest! Stefan's dead, Damon. He's dead!"

_"Do you ever wonder about life?"_

_I let the rake I'm holding sink to the ground._

_"Didn't dad tell you to stay inside until all the leaves are squared away?"_

_"Oh, come on! I promise I won't run through any of them. Please, Damon?"_

_I smile in sympathy. Dad has never given Stefan enough credit._

_"Okay. . .you can stay. Just don't mess up the leaves."_

_I watch as Stefan walks over and lowers himself onto the ground in front of the giant weeping willow inhabiting our plantation's front yard. I pick up the rake and continue my manipulations of the old, crackling leaves._

_"So, you never answered the question."_

_I quirk up an eyebrow in question._

_"Do you ever wonder about life?"_

_I smile downward as I keep raking._

_"I'm a sixteen year old farmboy, Stefan. What could I possibly be wondering about?"_

_"You could be wondering about what you want to be when you grow up, or who you're going to marry. Or even what you want for dinner tomorrow night!"_

_I laugh._

_"Okay, so what is it that ten year olds wonder about in life, little brother?"_

_I see Stefan wrinkle up his nose in concentration, and then his eyes light up once he's found his answer._

_"That's easy! Everything."_

"Oh, Damon!" I look over at Elena who has tears rushing down her cheeks. "He can't be dead Damon. He just can't be." She scoots over to the arm rest so that she can throw her arms around me. I can feel my cheeks tingling with tears of my own.

"He isn't Elena." My voice cracks through the silence. "Not if I have anything to say about it."


End file.
